Discuss various types of cyber offences?
Types of Cyber Offences (with Examples)
Cyber offences (cybercrimes) are illegal activities that use computers, networks, or digital devices as tools, targets, or both. Below is a clear, exam-ready classification with short explanations and common examples.
1) Offences Against Individuals
- Identity Theft: Stealing personal data (name, Aadhaar/SSN, passwords) to impersonate someone for fraud.
- Phishing, Smishing, Vishing: Fake emails, SMS, or calls that trick users into sharing OTPs, passwords, or banking details.
- Cyberstalking and Cyberbullying: Repeated online harassment, threats, monitoring, or abusive messages to intimidate or harm.
- Online Defamation and Doxxing: Posting false statements or exposing private information to damage reputation.
- Revenge Porn and Voyeurism: Sharing intimate images/videos without consent for humiliation or extortion.
- Impersonation and Fake Profiles: Creating accounts in someone else’s name to deceive or harass others.
- Email Spoofing and Spamming: Sending deceptive or bulk unsolicited emails to mislead or spread malware.
- Sextortion: Threatening to leak private content unless money or favors are given.
2) Offences Against Property and Data
- Hacking/Unauthorized Access: Breaking into systems or accounts without permission to view, alter, or steal data.
- Malware Attacks: Viruses, worms, trojans, spyware, adware, and ransomware that encrypts files and demands payment.
- Data Theft and Data Breach: Exfiltrating confidential files, source code, or customer databases.
- Password Cracking/Credential Stuffing: Guessing or reusing leaked passwords to hijack accounts.
- Cryptojacking: Secretly using a victim’s CPU/GPU to mine cryptocurrency.
- Intellectual Property Infringement: Software piracy, illegal downloads, distribution of copyrighted content.
3) Offences Against Organizations and Infrastructure
- DoS/DDoS Attacks: Flooding a server or network to disrupt websites or services.
- Web Application Attacks: SQL Injection, XSS, CSRF to bypass controls and steal or modify data.
- Botnets: Networks of infected devices controlled remotely to launch large-scale attacks.
- Supply-Chain Attacks: Compromising a trusted vendor or update channel to reach many victims.
- Insider Threats: Employees or contractors abusing access to leak or sabotage data.
- Business Email Compromise (BEC): Hijacking or spoofing corporate email to divert payments or data.
4) Financial and E‑Commerce Offences
- Online Banking and UPI/Wallet Fraud: Unauthorized transfers using stolen credentials or social engineering.
- Payment Card Fraud (Carding/Skimming): Cloning or misusing debit/credit card details.
- Investment and Loan Scams: Fake trading, get‑rich schemes, phishing “KYC updates,” and fraudulent apps.
- E‑Commerce Scams: Fake sellers, non-delivery, counterfeit goods, and chargeback fraud.
5) Offences Against Government and Public Order
- Cyber Terrorism: Attacks intended to create fear, disrupt services, or cause large-scale damage.
- Espionage and Surveillance: Stealing classified or strategic information from government entities.
- Critical Infrastructure Attacks: Targeting power grids, telecom, healthcare, transport, or financial networks.
- Website Defacement and Propaganda: Tampering with official portals to spread messages or misinformation.
6) Content-Related Offences
- Obscene/Prohibited Content: Publishing or transmitting illegal, obscene, or non-consensual intimate content.
- Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM): Creation, storage, or distribution of exploitative content involving minors.
- Hate Speech and Incitement: Content that promotes violence, discrimination, or communal disharmony.
- Misinformation and Fake News: Deliberate spread of false information causing harm or panic.
- Copyright Piracy: Unauthorized sharing of movies, music, books, or software.
7) Emerging and Advanced Offences
- Deepfake and AI Voice Scams: Synthetic media used for impersonation, fraud, or reputation damage.
- IoT Device Hijacking: Taking over cameras, routers, or smart appliances to spy or attack networks.
- Cloud Account Takeover: Abusing weak IAM settings or stolen tokens to access cloud data.
- Crypto/NFT Scams: Rug pulls, fake airdrops, phishing wallets, and exchange impersonation.
- Ransomware-as-a-Service: Renting ready-made ransomware kits to carry out extortion at scale.
How to Classify in Exams (Quick Tip)
- By target: individuals, property/data, organizations, government.
- By technique: social engineering, malware, network attacks, web exploits.
- By motive: financial gain, revenge, ideology, espionage, disruption.
In practice, cyber offences often overlap (for example, phishing can lead to identity theft and financial fraud). A clear understanding of categories, methods, and examples helps in identifying, investigating, and preventing digital crimes.